And The Days That Never Came
by Elliewelly1
Summary: AU to the end of s2 of life on mars. What happens to Gene and the gang when Sam leaves- and doesn't jump off the building to get back? How does Gene cope? Does Annie live through the torture? Will Sam ever get to say goodbye? Sam/Annie.
1. Chapter 1

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And The Days That Never Came

_"What I'm trying to get to you, is that time isn't on my side._  
_The truth's the worst I can do, I guess that I have lied._  
_Keeping me awake, its been like this now for days._  
_My heart is out at sea, my head all over the place."_  
_- Always Attract, You Me At Six._

_

* * *

_

The light... it was so inviting, so warm and open. And he could smell his mothers house, he could hear his mothers voice, pleading for him to come back. He looked back for a fleeting moment, a million thoughts zooming through his mind, of all the things he would never be able to say- to the team, to Gene, to Annie... The times that he'd never have with them. He'd actually been wondering what Christmas would be like here. He'd been wondering what Annie would do, whether she'd be alone like him, whether he should invite her over. Oh, but no, he'd never get to do that. He'd never be able to explain to her properly...

Because his heart was telling him to stay in 1971, where Annie was. And his head was telling him to go back to 2006, where things made sense.

For one fleeting moment, he stepped back towards the train, the sound of Gene's shouts clearly heard, and he thought he heard Annie scream.

But then he was gone, quick as a flash.

Because Sam always followed his head. Whether he liked it or not.

-(x)-

_Sam. _She wanted to scream, she wanted to so, so much. She wanted to scream his name to the starts, but she couldn't. Her throat was so tight that she couldn't even get merely a squeak out. She didn't know why she couldn't, she couldn't put her finger on what emotion she was feeling. She was all jumbled up. Fear, maybe? That must be part of it. That was probably why her heart was hammering in her chest, almost feeling like it was going to burst out. But she had to keep it together.

It wasn't fear for her own life, of course. It was fear for Sam's. He'd been true to his word, all of a sudden backup had stormed over, overpowering those firing bullets at them like there was no tomorrow. But where was he? It was like he'd disappeared into thin air; and it wasn't possible for people to do that! There was no chance that they'd shot at him, was there? No, no that wasn't it. Backup had got there before anyone had got hurt. So where was he? He couldn't just leave! He'd promised!

_"I promise you I won't leave you."_

His words echoed around in her mind, swirling around with all her memories of him. She pushed through the sea of people, screaming his name in her mind, yet unable to say anything. Had nobody else noticed he wasn't here? Didn't they feel like something was wrong? How could they not? Something was so, so wrong. She just knew.

Gene appeared in front of her, grabbing her wrists, "Annie, love, stop." He told her quietly as she tried to stagger off.

"N-N-No!" She whispered, "Sam. Sam."

"Annie, 'e's gone, buggered off. 'E won't come back, you know it."

Tears were streaming down her face. _"Hey, I was always going to leave you." _His words, swirling around and around, she felt so dizzy, but she still tried to walk on, Gene pulled her back, gripping her wrists almost painfully.

"You great big _bastard." _She hissed, "_Let go o' me!"_

Gene shook his head, "Annie-"

She brought her leg up and kneed him in the balls. Almost immeadiately, he released her wrists, and she spun away from him, staggering in the first direction she turned to. She had no idea where she was going, partly because of the tears that were blurring her vision, but Annie knew that Sam wasn't here, she could feel it, and it burned. So much. He couldn't just _go. _They had so much to talk about! He wouldn't just _leave. _He wasn't like that. Sam had respect for her, unlike the others around here. He treated her like she was actually human and not just another bit of skirt, and that was so different from everyone else around here. _She needed him._

Gene grabbed her from behind, stopping her from straying any further, "Sam!" She cried, but he didn't relent, and pulled her close- _hugging her. _She was so shocked and confused and hurt and all over the place, and she couldn't handle it. Annie pulled away, and launched herself at him, hitting him with her fists repeatedly on the chest. And Gene just stood there and took it, letting her unleash all her anger and fury and sadness. Gene was sure that he was going to gain a few bruises, but he knew he had to look after Annie. For Sam. Yeah, Sam cared about Annie, Gene knew that- surely Annie knew that? So he had to look after her, for Sam.

And when she was finished punching him, he hugged her again, feeling awkward, but hoping it was helping. But Annie simply stood immobile in his arms, wishing for a different pair of arms to comfort her.

* * *

**A/N:** I know it's a bit of an emotional start. Let me know what you think and if I should carry on? :) *Also, Inspiration for the name of this fic came from the_ Doctor Who_ series 5 finale*


	2. Chapter 2

**And The Days That Never Came**

_"For all of the times we've stopped,  
__For all of the things I'm not."_  
_- Marching on, One Republic._

Rain was a lot like teardrops; or were teardrops a lot like rain? When she was little, her mum used to tell her that when it rained, that meant that God was crying because something devastating had happened. Of course, as she had grown older, she had lost the slight religious side she'd once had in her and had totally not believed in anything of the sort. But now, she mused on the idea that God was perhaps crying because Sam had left, which was the most devastating thing to ever happen in her life. And as the raindrops pattered on the window of Gene's Cortina in its gentle beat, she felt a slight warmth spread throughout her body knowing that she wasn't alone.

Music drifted through the radio in the Cortina, and Annie closed her eyes, leaning her head against the cold window of the car. The only sound in the car was the music, she wasn't exactly going to start conversation, what was she supposed to say? She never had any idea what to say to her DCI outside work, besides, it had mostly always been Sam that she had spoke to outside of work... she supposed that was going to change now that he was gone.

How could he just leave? He had said that he had wanted to spend the last of his moments with _her, _so why had he left so suddenly when they'd spent even less time with each other than they usually would? She had thought that he would at least have been gentlemanly enough to say goodbye, and she had been wrong. Maybe she didn't really know him as well as she had thought that she did. Annie had always thought that Sam was pretty easy to read, but there was always a catch with him, something to suprise her, and she had always ended up expecting that in the end. But to leave her without saying goodbye?

Annie wondered how it all would've been if she had accepted his offer to stay that other night. Would things have been better? Maybe he might have stayed, with her, forever. Maybe something would have become of them... or maybe not. Maybe things would still be exactly how they were now, maybe what might have happened that night might have made no difference to his decisions whatsoever. After all, he had only said _one night, _not forever. He didn't want anything else from her, just one night of _them. _Oh, how beautiful that would have been though, what a memory she would have had to hold onto...

But she supposed it would have only hurt her more if she had stayed that night. The rejection would have killed. Not that it wasn't killing her already.

The car stilled suddenly, and the rumble of Gene's Cortina faded. Annie's eyes opened slowly, and she recognised where she was immeadiately. This was Sam's road, where Sam lived. Annie looked over at Gene with a million questions burning in her eyes, but didn't say anything. Gene knew what she was wondering.

"I figured yer'd want to come 'ere, to be close to 'im, y'know?" Gene said, shrugging, "He weren't that bad, for a sissy nonce. Don't think 'e 'ad any other choice but to leave, love. Don't blame 'im, yer know yer meant a lot to 'im, didn't yer?" Gene asked, searching her eyes to know if she did.

Her eyes were flat, and betrayed no emotion. "Thankyou, Guv." She whispered, and then turned to open the door. Gene caught her wrist.

"D'yer want me ter want for yer or..."

Annie shook her head, "No thanks sir." She mumbled.

Gene nodded in understanding and let her go, "Don't forget tha' you meant a lot to 'im."

Annie said nothing but climbed out of the car. Gene sighed as she closed the door softly behind her, and then he turned the car on and drove away slowly. Annie stood in the rain, her make-up running, her hair frizzing, slowly becoming drenched, until the car had disappeared from her sight.

It was then that she closed her eyes, and her teardrops mingled with the raindrops as they trickled down her cheeks.

* * *

Lonely.

That was what he was, lonely.

Everything made sense in this world of course. It was 2006, and it was the way everything should be. He had his mum and his job and his mobile and all the technology that 1971 had been lacking. But it wasn't right. It had never been right. Of course, now he knew what he was missing, and it was even harder for him to carry on in his days. But he had made the right decision. After all, he couldn't stay in a coma forever could he? It was going to end at some point, it had all just been a dream. It had to be. Annie, Gene, Ray, Chris, even Phyllis. They had all been figments of his imagination. There wasn't some other world, and he couldn't have time travelled, that was impossible.

It made sense that Annie had come from his imagination. She was perfect in every way. Annie was his dream woman. That was why he must have created her, obviously. She hadn't sent him off to the funny farm when he had said he was from the future, she was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever met, she had a great sense of humour, an amazing personality, and she was brilliant copper, too. She was everything that he had been searching for, everything he loved ... and she would never exist.

It also made sense for Gene Hunt to have been conjured up from his imagination. He was everything that Sam despised. So how Sam had ended up liking him, he didn't know. Maybe it was just because he realised that everyone he despised about Gene was a stereotype... not that it mattered, none of it did, really. Well, Annie did. It hurt so much to be without her. Of course he missed Gene too, he was his mate, really. If you could call it that. But he had to move on from that. He had to stop holding onto them. They were all from his imagination.

It had been five weeks now that he had been out of his coma. He had returned to work two weeks previously, which was a difficult task, staying cooped up in the station all day and not going out on any calls was so... wrong. He had also talked things out with Maya the moment that he could, they were still on speaking terms, actually they were good friends... but it wasn't her friendship he wanted. And he had his mother, oh his wonderful mother Ruth. Whom he loved, and he knew that she loved him. He just wished that the woman he loved was in 2006, too.

Sam stretched his legs as he paced around his mothers living room. Too many things were zooming through his mind. Which was why he had come to visit his mother. He came a lot more to see her now. Firstly because he had learned not to take things for granted, he had nearly died after all and he had realised that he had never told his mum how much he appreciated her being there for him, and he wanted her to know that. And secondly, it was something to do to take his mind off it. Even when he was working on cases now, he couldn't help but compare them to cases that they had in 1971, or the methods they had used then.

Ruth walked into the room holding two mugs of tea. Sam looked up and she passed him the mug, which he took gratefully, offering her a smile before taking a sip. Ruth sat down on the sofa and watched as Sam placed his mug on the side and began pacing the room again.

"Tell me about it again." She said.

Sam shrugged, "I just, record everything on a tape, all the experiences I had, I talk about everything. And then I ship them off to Alex Drake, she's a police psychologist. She's been collecting things like this for a while now. Writing a book." He explained, stopping his pacing for a moment as he spoke.

Ruth patted the space next to her on the sofa, "Tell me about it, Sam. How it was then. You didn't explain it all properly before."

Sam sighed and took a seat next to his Mum. "Well, where do I start? One minute, I'm standing on the road, resting against my car and then I'm just... in this wasteland in 1971, wearing ridiculous clothes might I add..." Sam trailed off, shrugging.

"Did it feel like a dream?" Ruth asked curiously.

Sam shook his head passionately, "No. Nothing like it. Everything was so _real. _I could hear everything, smell everything, feel everything underneath my fingertips, like the sand on Annie's hands when..." He trailed off as the memory become to painful, looking down at his empty hands sadly, remembering how her own felt in his.

Ruth noticed the look of sadness cross her son's face, "You mention Annie the most." She told him, "Whenever you tell me about that place."

"I do?" Sam murmured, glancing up at his Mum.

She nodded, "What did she look like?"

Sam took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut tight, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he remembered the memories he tried to hard to push away. "She had a beautiful smile." He murmured, "And she had these blue eyes that were... so twinkly and happy and beautiful... and this silky light brown hair... it hung in soft curls to her shoulders. She was lovely and slender, a beautiful figure... Oh Mum, she was... gorgeous. And she wasn't just gorgeous, but she had this amazing, kind personality- a brilliant copper, too. She had the ability to make you smile even if... even if everything was backwards. She made everything alright." Sam murmured softly. He opened his green eyes to find his Mums staring directly into his, and he began to feel self consious-looking down at his hands again.

Ruth put a hand over her sons, "Don't push the memories away Sam, we can never forget the ones we love."

Sam did nothing, he didn't even respond to her touch.

"What's eating you up? Something's bothering you." Ruth asked softly.

Sam's lips quivered, "I promised her, Mum." He whispered, looking up at her, desperate for comfort, "I promised her I wouldn't leave her- but I did! And she was in danger, I didn't even try and save any of them, I just came back and left her... and I know she couldn't have been real. It was all just a dream. But I can't... she was... Annie was so real..." Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, and he inhaled sharply to regain control.

Ruth threw her arms around her son, pulling him close in her embrace. He finally allowed himself to cry, his teardrops wetting his mums shoulders.

"Don't tell yourself she wasn't real." She whispered in his ear, "Because everything you feel for her is real, isn't it?"

Sam couldn't speak, and the only noise that came out of his throat was a strangled sob. His cries mingled with the sound of the rain, pattering onto the window.

* * *

**A/N: **Aww my two favourite characters are sad, I don't like this :( It's all part of the story though I guess! Let me know what you think please!


	3. Chapter 3

**And The Days That Never Came**

_"And I don't want the world too see me, cause i dont think they'd understand,  
When everything seems to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.  
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, oh the moment the truth in your lies,  
When everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know your alive."  
- Iris, Goo Goo Dolls._

The door to Sam's house fell open easily after Annie pulled out a hairclip and worked her magic on the lock. She prolonged the moment that she would have to enter into Sams empty flat. A flat where Sam had slept, ate, drank, where he'd had all his private moments- where Sam had existed, where he had lived. But never again would he come here. He was gone, vanished. And he hadn't cared enough to say goodbye- so why was she here? Annie wasn't quite sure herself. She just knew that she had to come here. Annie hoped that it would bring her some sense of peace, maybe it would help her say goodbye to Sam. Even if he hadn't said goodbye to her in person.

Annie took a deep breath and pushed the hairclip back into her hair. She balled her hands up in to fists after and tried to keep the tears away, took one more deep breath... and slowly, she pushed the door open.

It creaked as she did so, but she ignored that, and she also ignored the fact that the lights were off in Sam's flat. What had she been expecting, anyway? The television on and a mug of tea sitting on the table waiting for her? No. She didn't know what she had expected. So why did it take her by suprise that Sam wasn't here? She stepped in, looking around wildly, hoping that Gene was wrong, that Sam had simply come back for a quick nap and had slept in too long or something. Sam couldn't just not _exist_. He had too. Any moment now, Annie expected him to just jump out and yell "Joke!" And her heart yearned for it to happen. Every inch of her being wished that she could see Sam again. Just once.

But he didn't jump out. He didn't yell joke. She wouldn't see him again, ever, she realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Annie surveyed the room he had once lived in. The air was thick with dust. So she rushed over to the window and opened it as far as it allowed her, holding back the urge to cough. Once she had done so, she turned back, leaning back onto the wall. Sam's single creaky bed was pulled down, the cover thrown haphazardly across it where he'd not bothered to make it this morning, and it amused Annie that although Sam was the most polite and cleanest man she'd met, he didn't make his bed- then again, she didn't see the point in making her bed either if she was just gonna get in it again anyway! Not that Sam was ever gonna get back into this one...

Everything was mostly how he had left it. There were no traces that he had left. There was food in the fridge, his clothes still in his wardrobe and all his toiletries in the bathroom. Had he seriously left without anything?

Annie was hit with a sudden idea. She knew that he kept a photo of the team from the christmas party they had in 1972. If he'd left that, then he really didn't care at all. If he had took it, then it meant that he _had_ cared. So she hurried back into his room, kneeled down, and started searching through the drawer that she knew he kept it in. Don't ask how she knew where he kept it, she just knew, it was her little secret.

Annie's breath caught when she found the photo. But not only that, but two others. She picked up the christmas party one first, and stared at it numbly. They were all smiles. Ray, Chris and Gene all had their pints, and Phyllis had just rushed into the photo because she'd set the camera to take the photo, so she looked flustered. Gene looked like he was shouting something, and was holding on desperately to Chris and Ray with heavy-lidded eyes; even though he could "handle his drink". Unlike the others, Sam didn't feel the need to get insanely drunk. At the time it was because she thought he had morals, but now she guessed it was because he didn't want to say anything about being undercover while drunk. But in the photo, it was hard to believe he had betrayed them all. He was grinning from ear-to-ear, that sparkle in his eyes that told her he was happy, with one hand wrapped around her waist, and she'd been leaning in to him with a massive grin on her face. She hoped it hadn't given away to much and that he thought she'd just been smiling like a maniac for the camera, and not for the fact that her skin had been tingling all over with the feel of his touch.

The next photo she found was of simply her and Sam. This time, he didn't have his arm around her. But they were so close, standing together. It wasn't from the christmas party. This was from the first day of her being promoted to a Detective Constable, thanks a lot to Sam. He was grinning, and so was she. Annie peered closer, and again, there it was. That sparkle in his eye that told her he was happy. To stand next to her. That couldn't make her feel anymore warmer inside than she already did.

The other photo that she hadn't expected was just of her and Sam. This one was from the christmas party. She didn't remember this photo ever being taken, though. They were both sat at the bar, heads bowed close together, bodies just inches away from each other. Annie's breath hitched. If you didn't know better, you could mistake them for a couple. They just... and Sam had that sparkle... and they were both smiling... and how could Sam ever have been undercover? He must have cared. There was no way she could have mistaken that happy look in his eye.

But then she dropped the photos from her shaking fingers. Because Sam hadn't taken them. He obviously hadn't cared enough to want something to remind him of the times they'd all shared.

Annie looked around the room wordlessly, confused, and hurt. And then she bowed her head, promising herself that she would never let herself make another mistake like falling in love with Sam Tyler again.

"Stupid." She whispered to herself.

* * *

The days were long and cold. It was winter 2006 now. The crisp November air was never a thrill for Sam. So why was he out here? Most people were looking at him like he was crazy as he jogged past them. Maybe he was. Nowadays, he thought that too. As the days wore on, he began to wish to be back in the 1970's more and more. He knew it was crazy, to want to go back to a place that he had spent all of his time trying to get out of- and also a place that was just a result of a coma.

His flat was becoming too much for him to bear on his own. Waking every morning alone and falling asleep every night alone killed him. Too much thinking time, and thinking wasn't good for Sam anymore. And all the time, his heart was yearning for him to find Annie. But how could he? She wasn't real. She was just a figment of his imagination. His Mum kept telling him that she must be real because "the feelings he had for her" were real enough. But he couldn't let himself think that she was real. That would hurt even more.

If she was real, that would mean that, because of him, she could be _dead. The whole team could be dead._ Because he had left them when they'd needed him the most. And if she hadn't died, that meant that she had lived a life in another time, without him, believing that he had abandoned them when they needed to be saved. She would hate him. And then she would grow older, maybe she would've got married to someone else, had kids. Lived a life without him, while he spent every day wishing he was with her and every night dreaming he was with her.

So he told himself that Annie wasn't real. That she was conjured up from his imagination. That she had only existed when she was with him. That the only time she had ever lived was the times that he held onto in his memories. The happy times. When everything was finally... right.

But it didn't numb the pain.

And so he jogged on wordlessly, confused and hurt, promising himself he would never let himself make another mistake like falling in love with Annie Cartwright again.

"Stupid." He whispered to himself.

* * *

**A/N:** This is like the most I've ever wrote without using much speech :O feel privileged;)


	4. Chapter 4

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**And The Days That Never Came**

_"I've lost who I am and I can't understand,  
Why my heart is so broken, rejecting your love,  
Without love gone wrong, lifeless words carry on,  
But I know, all I know, is that the end's beginning.__"  
- Shattered, Trading Yesterday_

**

* * *

**Doing bigger things in life was easier. Like going out and making a collar with the team. Well, no way was it easy, she would always be questioning the teams methods to Sam's in the back of her mind, how Sam would have handled the case, what Sam's opinions would be, how much detail they should look into things. But going out with the team or doing work was easier than the smaller things. At work she could completely lose herself in the case, she could completely cut off any emotions she felt and simply surround herself in the work and not think about anything else. Well, that's what she tried. Sometimes she wouldn't be able to and she would think about Sam, but she had learned to block the emotions out.

No, it was the little things in life that were harder. Like walking home alone without even a friendly offer, or heading to work without stopping at his first, or ordering just one drink instead of two. It was picking what outfit to wear to impress Sam and then remembering he wasn't there. It was thinking about asking Sam if he'd go to Roxy Music with her again and then remembering that he wasn't around. It was walking into work expecting to see a warm smile but realising he hadn't come back. Those were the hardest parts in life, the parts when she had nothing to distract herself with and she would get lost in her thoughts.

That time that she had visited Sam's flat after he had gone seemed to have made it worse. She hadn't really been able to accept it, and she had thought that maybe he would come back, or see sense. Tell her that he hadn't actually wanted to go. But she knew better after visiting his flat and seeing the pictures, the only sort of precious items he owned. And she had felt all the hate rush up inside her aswell as realisation that he wasn't coming back. Still, that hadn't stopped her from sleeping there that night, cocooned in the cover that smelled of him, warm and protecting, and her face buried in the pillow that he had once used. But after that she hadn't gone back. She knew better.

3 weeks had passed now. The pain wasn't as strong but it was still there. She'd like to say that she was learning to live without Sam in her life, but she wasn't, and she hoped that one day she would. She needed to be strong. Never had she let a man do this to her before. But Sam was different. So, so different. Annie guessed that was why she was still so desperately in love with him, even though he hurt her in ways that were unable to explain through words.

"Annie love?"

Annie turned after just exiting The Railway Arms and starting to head back to her place, to find Gene standing a few feet behind her. "Guv?"

"D'you er... want a lift 'ome?" He asked gruffly, not meeting her eyes.

Annie blinked, suprised, and was silent for a moment before asking, "Erm, why would you want to do that sir?"

Gene looked down at his feet, "Well, yer know... shouldn't be letting a woman walk 'ome alone at this time o' night."

Annie laughed half-heartedly, "Guv, it's not even seven. I've walked home later before."

Gene looked up then, and gave her a knowing look. "Yeah, but Sam were mostly walking yer 'ome then weren't 'e?"

Annie said nothing but stared defiantly back at him, and although at the mention of Sam's name she wanted to break down, she didn't. She held it together. Because she wouldn't let them see how badly damaged she was. None of them mentioned Sam's name. Not ever. She didn't know whether it was because they knew how close Gene and Sam had been and they didn't want to hurt their precious Guv, or whether it was because they knew how much they knew it hurt her. A few months ago, she would've laughed in your face if you had suggested they were doing it for her. But now, since Sam had gone, she didn't know anymore. She didn't know anything anymore.

"C'mon, why don't yer want me ter give yer a lift?" Gene asked, brow furrowed.

_Because I need to learn to keep the pain away when I'm alone,_ she thought, but instead she said, "I'd rather walk, sir." And then turned away quickly and walked away without daring looking back.

Gene watched her go with a sigh. He had promised himself he would look after Annie, and he knew he was failing that. And not only was he failing himself, he was failing Annie, too, and Sam. Because despite what Annie might think, Sam cared about her a whole lot, and everyone seemed to know that besides Annie. Gene knew that he owed it to Sam to help Annie through this. It was just he'd never had that much responsibility on his hands, he didn't know what to do to help her.

In the end, nobody could help her.

She disappeared, walking home, two days later. The case went on for eleven weeks, with Gene fighting with the superintendent about continuing with the case instead of others, before finally Gene reluctantly admitted defeat. He hoped, somewhere in his heart, that wherever Annie was she was happy. Maybe she had just moved away, had to get out of the place that reminded her so strongly of Sam. That was what he hoped. Though he knew Annie wouldn't do that without saying goodbye, but ever since Sam had disappeared she hadn't been Annie Cartwright anymore. She'd just been a ghost of who she had once been.

The main thing he hoped for was that, whatever had happened to her, hadn't hurt.

* * *

It did hurt her. Not that anybody knew that but her. And she knew that they wouldn't find her. Maybe one day they would, somewhere in the distant future. But then again, how often did they check the river for dead bodies unless they washed up ashore? They didn't, from what she knew. Her team wouldn't, anyway. They were too lazy for that. That was why they needed Sam. He always had this energy about him, this motivation that nobody else had. That was why she needed him. She had no energy anymore, and no motivation for life in general anymore. That was why she was doing this. It just all had to _end. _

That night, roughly three weeks after Sam had left, two days after Gene had offered to give her a lift home and one hour before midnight , Annie Cartwright took three deep breaths, two steps forwards and one reckless leap of faith.

* * *

Christmas was approaching fast. It was the 18th of December 2006, and Sam had nobody to spend Christmas with. Oh sure, he'd visit Ruth Tyler, his mother. But he couldn't spend all day with her. Unlike him, she actually had many friends, and was planning on spending her Christmas with one of the nurses at the hospital that she had made friends with while she had waited by his bedside when he was in his coma. He saw the contrast in this christmas compared to the ones that he had spent in the 70's. They'd had christmas parties in The Railway Arms then. All the team but him and Annie had got insanely drunk, and he might just have snuck a few kisses under the mistletoe with her. Whereas this christmas... he'd just sit at home while everyone had a jolly evening, probably watch TV, visit his mum for a bit, and then return back to his and watch some more TV.

"What's on your mind Sam, really?" Sam looked up to see Maya hovering around his desk. His eyes flickered over to the clock and he realised that he had been working half and hour overtime.

"What do you mean?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

She perched on the edge of his desk, pursing her lips, "Half the time, I can't see you in there anymore. It's like you're somewhere else." Maya explained.

Sam smirked at the irony, "Perhaps I am."

Maya seemed a little confused by his comment, and asked, "Why do you always seem not quite... happy? You're different now. I can tell you that."

Sam looked down at his desk, "Perhaps I am."

Maya blinked, and then said exasperatedly, "Am I going to get anything but nonsense out of you?"

"That depends on what you class as nonsense." Sam replied.

"Fine then." Maya said, standing up and heading for the door.

Sam probably should have stopped her and said sorry. That he wasn't feeling all too good right now. Because that was the truth. He probably should have stopped her and offered to buy her a drink, spend some time with an old friend. Well, not an old friend, it felt like it had been ages that he had spoke to her, obviously. He probably should have asked her what she was doing for christmas, if she was spending it with anybody. He probably should have tried to fix what they had once had, because he needed to start living in the real world. He couldn't keep holding onto imaginary constructs.

But he didn't, he just watched her go, and spent the rest of the night going over paperwork.

One hour before midnight, he felt empty. It was like everything that was happy in his life was sucked out of him. It was like all he knew was sadness. It was so sudden and so random that he fell back in his seat, gasping. He felt tears prick his eyes and a million and one memories flash in front of his green eyes. Everything in that moment seemed to last hours, but was infact just one second.

He felt burning in his lungs, he could taste bitter, dirty water on his tongue, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt helpless. He was thrashing around but he wasn't moving. He was determined to fight but he wasn't. The pain was subsiding as water swirled around him, dirty, ugly, brown water. Where was he? He wasn't sure which way was up or down. Which direction did he swim in? But another part of him was forcing him not to fight, and it seemed to be winning. The water hurt his eyes but he didn't close them, even though the other part of him was telling him to let go. But he fought. So hard. It was getting harder to fight now, his energy was drifting because of the lack of oxygen. He looked around frantically but he couldn't figure where to swim because of the current pulling him around like a ragdoll, and fraction by fraction his eyes started to close. Slowly, at first. But then everything was fading to black, a few bubbles escaped his lips and the part that was telling him to let go and just die won. Everything was fading, darkness was closing in, he felt claustrophobic and lightheaded, he was dying. He was dead.

And then he was back in his office.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

Because he felt his broken heart break all over again, and that shouldn't even be possible.

* * *

**I hope you understand what I meant to do at the end there : )**

Also, thank you for all the lovely reviews. There aren't many Sam/Annie readers/writers on FF, so that makes me happy. Also, updates may be slightly slower since I have to use my family computer cause it seems like my laptop is broken :(


	5. Chapter 5

**And The Days That Never Came**

_"Oh the elements I do not fear,  
__But I fall apart when you appear,_  
_Because you are the greatest, the greatest disaster."  
__- Elements, A Fine Frenzy _

Christmas Eve, 2006. Everyone was happy. Little kids ran around with their coats and mittens on with little red noses and flushed skin from the bitter air that nipped at their unprotected skin. Mothers shivered in their coats as they chatted and waited for their children. Father Christmas was the main topic of conversations. And presents, too. Oh, and plans, where people were going, when they were starting the Turkey, who was coming round. Topics of conversation Sam doubted he'd ever be included in ever again.

Sam walked along the street on his own opposite the park as the little children ran past screaming happily. One or two nearly bumped into him, but that was to be expected. He smiled to himself as they did. At least they were having fun. He couldn't exactly claim that he was happy himself, could he? Because he definitely wasn't. He didn't know what it was, but something had made him feel even worse about himself. Why? What had happened that night in his office? Sam was often haunted by what he had experienced that night, and it often made him feel worse, which was why he felt pretty glum today. He had no work to lose himself in because it was his Christmas break, even though he would've happily worked his super had made him claiming that he had been working too much since he had got out of his coma. If only he knew why he wanted the distraction of work.

Sam tried to banish the thoughts of the 1970's out of his mind. But it wouldn't work. The memories were too strong lately, which was odd because he thought that he would've forgotten overtime. But no, they were still there. Sam still remembered how much of a div Chris was, how much of a jerk Ray was, how much of a bully Gene was, and how lovely Annie was. He still remembered the way her blue eyes twinkled when she laughed, he still remembered how lovely that laugh sounded, he still remembered her soft, soothing voice, he still remembered her soft chocolate brown hair, he still remembered the way she felt in his arms, he still remembered the fact that he had left her for dead.

Sam screwed his eyes shut and forced himself not to cry. Stupid. _They weren't real_, he told himself, _they can't be._

_**

* * *

**_

Annie wandered the streets of Manchester. Everything was so much cleaner! And what were those things people were holding to their ear? She didn't want to stop and ask them, too many people had one, so she guessed she would appear mad if she asked. Maybe that was what she was. After all, she was sure that she had drowned in the river. What had happened? Where was she? Well obviously, she knew she was in Manchester. But everything was… different!

Annie was too lost in her thoughts to notice the man walking towards her until it was too late and she walked right into him. It was obvious he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, either. They bumped right into each other, and Annie jumped so much that she collapsed into a nearby wall. The man fell into the car parked parallel to the wall.

Both stared at each other for a while. Blue meeting green, green meeting blue, electric currents shooting through their veins, smiles tugging at the corner of their lips, hearts hammering. Annie felt like she was going to faint, and Sam was sure that any moment now he would wake up and this would all be a dream.

"Annie?" He whispered hesitantly, not moving.

"Sam?" She whispered in return, barely holding herself up on her legs.

Sam pushed himself off the car and she threw herself at him. He gathered her in his arms, burying his face in her hair, the smell of her shampoo wafting through his nostrils. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, unable to believe that she was there. But she was there. She was real. _She was real. _

Annie couldn't breathe. Literally. She was hyperventilating, she was sure of it. Sam. Sam Tyler. The man she loved. The man who had left. He was… he was here! And he was holding her in his arms. He wasn't gone. He was there. And he was real. _He was real._

"I must be going mad." Sam whispered into her hair.

Annie pulled away from him just enough to stare up and into his eyes. In his eyes she saw a lot of things. Sadness, confusion, and longing? For one moment she felt sorry for him, that he had had to leave because he had been undercover, clearly not because he wanted to go, she decided.

But then something snapped inside of her. Everything that had hurt her, everything that had made her cry, and everything that had forced her to throw herself into a river even though she had promised herself that she wouldn't even shed one more _tear _for him, bubbled inside of her and she launched herself at him. Just like she had with Gene. Annie attacked him, repeatedly hitting him in the chest, wrenching herself out of his arms and shouting words that even she didn't understand herself. She could feel people staring, but she didn't care, they didn't understand. It had hurt so _much _when Sam had gone, and now he had just appeared and hugged her and thought everything was going to be alright? No! She was sick of being pushed around by Sam. So she hit him, hard, many times, shouting and tears streaming from her eyes without realising, actually you could go as far as saying that she was sobbing. And Sam just stood there with wide-eyes, not even trying to defend himself, letting her get it all out of her system.

Annie sucked in a ragged breath, and stopped hitting him. For one moment. Before her fist snapped across his face, a full-blown punch that was sure to bruise him later on.

Most people who had been watching didn't say a thing and turned away, attempting to gather their children. Nobody said anything and the only sound was the passing traffic and Annie's ragged breath. The tears had stopped, for a moment.

"Annie…" Sam murmured, one hand reaching out to stroke the tears from her blotchy cheeks. "I can't tell you how glad I am that you're here. That you're _real."_

"You left, Sam!" She cried, tears spilling again, "You left the team, you left Gene, you left _me! _Didn't you stop and think how that would make me feel?"

"I didn't mean to, Annie." He murmured softly, trying not to make her angry again, "I had to come back."

"Why, Sam?" Annie demanded, almost hysterical, "Why would you leave? Without even goodbye?"

Sam stepped towards her and encased her in his arms again and whispered very softly in her ear, "Annie, I never had a choice. I had to come back to 2006. This is _2006, _Annie, and it's Christmas eve. How did you get here?"

Annie's breath caught, "You're goin' mad, Sam. There's no way-"

"Was it you, that I saw? In that river? You were drowning, I saw it, I tried to fight Annie but-"

"It was!" Annie pulled away and stared at him in wonder, "I couldn't- I just- Oh, Sam…" She erupted into a fresh round of sobs.

"Don't cry, Annie." He pleaded with her, bringing his hands up to stroke away the tears again. "I can't stand to see you cry."

"I-I-I don't know what else to d-do! I-I-I just w-woke up h-here! And y-you're here! I can't b-believe it, Sam… Sam…"

Sam kissed one of the salty tears on her cheek, "I know, Annie, I know."

**A/N: I'm sorry this took me ages to write, I'm not very happy with it but I didn't ****want to leave it much longer! Feel free to tell me how rubbish it is…**


	6. Chapter 6

**And The Days That Never Came  
**_"All is lost."_  
_- Shattered, Trading Yesterday. _

Annie didn't say another word. Well, he was sure she said his name a few times between her sobs, but her voice sounded so strangled that he couldn't make out what she was saying. She didn't question him when he wound his arm around her waist and pulled her in the direction of his flat. Annie simply clung awkwardly to him as he helped her walk along. Neither did she say a thing when he let himself into his flat, she didn't even look around. As soon as the door was closed, she flung her arms around him again, sobbing into his chest. It broke his heart to see Annie like this, she'd always been so bubbly, strong and happy, and now? Now he didn't even recognise this Annie. Her beautiful face was crumpled up as she sobbed, her blue eyes shining with tears instead of twinkling with laughter, her soft brown hair hung desperately to her blotchy cheeks as fat tears fell down her face, and instead of laughter eminating from her, all that came from her was heart-wrenching sobs.

Sam wrapped his arms around her and clung to her tightly, and even though he was confused and just... all mixed up, her needs came before his. Sam wanted to protect her from this help that she was feeling, try and turn her back into the lovely, happy Annie that she usually was. But just how did he do that? A hug and wipe her tears away? No, Annie needed more than that. So he whispered words of soothing comfort into her hair, squeezing her comfortingly, kissed her forehead, tried to help her. But he wasn't sure how, he never felt like he was good enough around Annie, she had always been so much... _better _than him.

"I don't know what's real anymore, Sam." She sobbed into his chest, the first words to pierce the defeaning silence that was filled with her sobs, "I really don't."

Sam smirked, "Me neither, Annie, I can't believe you're here-"

Annie ripped away from him, "But I'm not, am I? This is all just some dream! Any moment now, I'll wake up to find that this were all a dream!"

Sam stepped towards her but she stepped back, he held his hands out to her, palm faced upwards in defeat, "Annie, it's not a dream, this is all real Annie, you're real, I'm real-"

"You're not real!" She screamed, stepping back again as he automatically stepped towards her to comfort her, "You're not _Sam-"_

"Yes I am Annie I-"

"No you're not! You look like him and you smell like him and you talk like him but you're _not _him! You're not _my _Sam, you're all different!" She yelled, her throat sore now, tears still streaming down her face.

Those four words. _You're not my Sam. _They broke his heart.

"I don't know what to do, Annie, how to prove it to you. I know what it feels like, arriving in a place you don't know, 1973-"

"That's it! That's why I'm dreaming this! Because _my _Sam claimed to be from the future cause o' his concussion! It's all cause o' that-"

"No, Annie, I swear this is real-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" She roared.

Sam stopped. Annie stopped. This was so un-like Annie it was unreal. _Unreal. _Was this really all a dream? Was Sam going to wake up any moment to find that he had dreamt this? After all, they couldn't be real, could they? All Chris and Gene and Ray and Annie, they were constructs in his coma! People couldn't _time travel,_ this wasn't Doctor Who! But oh, how he wished this wasn't a dream, how he wished Annie was really here with him. Even if she appeared to loathe him, he would gladly accept that than never see her again and find out that she wasn't real. But 2006, this was real. So she **must **be real.

The only sound in the air was of Annie's ragged breaths from all her shouting, her chest heaving. She had the itching feeling to punch him again- she could see the bruise forming already, but she felt no remorse, this wasn't Sam after all, just a dream... but then, why did she feel so much? Why had she been able to smell Sam's aftershave when she clung to him and sobbed? Why had she been able to feel her eyelashes tickling her skin and mottling together with tears when she had sobbed? Why was there so much detail? Then again, that was something that Sam had said when she'd first met him and stopped him from throwing himself off the roof. He had asked her about the sand on her hands, hadn't he? He had said something about the brain creating detail. That would be what inspired that.

"Annie?" Sam asked cautiously.

He sounded like Sam. He sounded a lot like Sam. The way he had been acting was a lot like Sam, too, though not as mad. This wasn't her Sam. Where was her mad, crazy Sam? The one who had always been able to make her smile or confuse her when he had rambled on about being from the future. She missed him. She didn't want a plain Sam, a fake Sam, she wanted the real Sam. Whoever this was, wasn't Sam. He wasn't _her _Sam.

She doubted she'd ever find _her _Sam again.

* * *

**A/N: **So now the situation is reversed! Instead of Sam acting crazy and believing that nothing is real, Annie is! Tadaa! I thought I'd treat you with writing this chapter so quickly because I left you so long with the other one, even though it's a pretty angsty one and you probably don't like the angst! Again, please let me know what you think! D'you think Annie's reacting the right way? D'you think I've kept Sam in character? (Annie's not supposed to really act like herself here, because I've never seen Annie get really, really angry in LOM). It's reviews that keep me going : ) Also, to **DanaCartwright**- yes, this fic may go on a while! I tend to make my fictions as long as I can, I always have new ideas and instead of creating a whole new fic, I simple adjust them slightly to fit in with the fic I'm writing! I hope people do keep reading this though if it turns into a long one...

Also if you search "iloveCullens96" (lets ignore the username) in YouTube, you may find the Sam/Annie vidlet I made!


	7. Chapter 7

****

And The Days That Never Came

_"When you go, would you have the guts to say,  
I don't love you, like I loved you, yesterday."  
__- I Don't Love You, My Chemical Romance_

She wondered why her mind was doing this. Why couldn't she just die? Or was this supposed to be some form of a purgatory world? Annie had never been a great believer in God or anything, perhaps as a child but now as a WDC she knew what the world was really like, so she was a little suprised that her mind was straying to such thoughts. Mind you, she didn't really know what to think. Was this some form of punishment? Because if it was, it was working pretty well. She was falling to pieces. Really. In her mind, anyway. Nothing made sense. Why was she being punished? What had she done? Was it how she had taken her life? Maybe that was a Sin. She didn't know. But she hadn't been able to handle it, being away from Sam, not having him in her life was like not having a heart. It was impossible to live.

Annie was sat on this fake sofa of fake Sam's in this fake world. She heard the clink of a spoon as fake Sam stirred the tea, huh, her brain must be very smart to come up with such detail. Shame that her brains hadn't shown through in school! Real Sam had believed in her though, she wondered if fake Sam would too. Maybe to others, there wasn't much difference. But she knew Sam like the back of her hand, she knew him inside out, she knew him better than he knew himself. And something was just... different. There were no crazy ramblings, that was obvious. And that was... that was what had made Sam... Sam. But, it wasn't just that. Seriously, since when had Sam worn a suit? He'd never looked so, plain! It was in his eyes, too. The green eyes, those beautiful eyes, they were so flat and empty, where was the fire? There had always been a fire in his eyes, especially after he had solved a case, aswell as that grin.

He wasn't Sam. This wasn't Sam. This wasn't real!

Before she had any idea what she was doing, Annie stood up and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Sam heard and immeadiately stopped what he was doing, rushing out into the front room where he'd left Annie. He sighed with frustration and punched the wall, hard, the sound of the slamming door reverberating through his mind. He almost let out a scream. He was so confused. How could Annie be real? It was so ironic that the woman he had sworn was from his mind was actually real, and believed he wasn't.

Sam sighed. There was no point going after her. She needed time to think. He knew what it was like. Even though having Annie there for him in the 1970's had helped him so much, he knew going after her wouldn't help. He knew Annie. She needed time to think things through on her own, she like that, she hated people to see her weak. Annie always had to pass off strong. Maybe that was a factor he loved about her, that she was so strong, so in control of her emotions- unlike him.

Sam bowed his head and waited.

* * *

She could feel it, the cold metal of the swing as she wrapped her hands around it. And the cold, the bitter cold, december air that bit at her skin. She hadn't exactly wrapped up warm. Looking down at herself, she took in for the first time the clothes that she woke up in. A black coat with lots of buttons on the front and did up with a buckle at the front and nearly went to her knees, and dark blue skinny jeans and... black wooly boots? Annie had no idea what was going on, and leaned her head against the cold metal of the swing, staring up at the clouded blue sky.

"Why?" She whispered, "Why did I leave it all? For this? For a fake Sam? Is it really worth it?" Annie sighed and scuffed her boots on the green grass of the park, "Gene was willing to help, they were all... kind, for once. Why did I leave it?" She muttered, frowning.

Annie couldn't really remember why. Or when she had actually made the consious decision to jump. She just remembered walking home, and then she was there, and then she was jumping, and then she was in hospital, and they told her she'd been attacked, but only had minor injuries, maybe a concussion, and she had discharged herself, confused, and then she had wondered the streets of Manchester... and there Sam was.

And she'd run away from him, because she was scared. Because logically, this couldn't be real. But... it made the old Sam Tyler actually make sense.

Annie bowed her head, pressing her lips together. No, she was not going to cry. She'd done too much crying lately. This was the end of her crying. She needed to think things through properly.

* * *

"This is going to be my last tape. Mainly because... I have told you everything I experienced already. There are a few things I never properly explained, I know I spent a lot of time in my tapes slandering my team, but just know... Despite how he is, you can't help but respect Gene Hunt. Grow to like him. Ray, Chris, maybe even Annie... they would've done anything for him. Because he was their Guv and he had earned their respect, not just demanded it. Even if it could seem that way.

And, I want you to know, Alex, that world, the world I went to in my coma, is real. It _is. _I feel it in... Huh, well, a gut instinct, shall we say. Gene would be proud I said that.

But I have evidence, see. Annie Cartwright. I know I told you about her before. She was the first one I started talking about in my tapes that I sent you, wasn't she? Even before I properly explained what I had experienced. Because she... Annie... Annie is... I loved her, Alex. I still do. Huh. I've never even met you and I'm pouring my heart out to you. I'll be awaiting the men with the white coats soon. Annie never called them, you know, always put up with me acting like a madman. I respect her for that.

But, Annie... She shouldn't exist, should she? None of them should. They're all from my mind. But they're not, see. They can't be. Because Annie's _here, _Alex. I bumped into her on the street and I brought her back to my house and she... screamed at me. It wasn't the most enjoyable experience. And now she's stormed out. She thinks _I'm _not real. The irony in that, huh? But, well... I'm glad that she's here. I'm glad that she's real.

I haven't told her that I love her. I don't know if that will convince her that I'm real. She wouldn't let me talk. She just screamed and sobbed and it was just so... unlike her. But it is her, I know it is. And I hope she comes back soon because waiting around for her is torturous. And I need to tell her, and I need to get answers, what happened to me in 1973? Did I die there? Or did I vanish? I hope not. That would make the team think I just abandoned them... And how is Annie here? Jesus, this is just like being back in 1973, it's all confusing. Nothing makes sense anymore.

I understand why Annie reacted the way she did, I honestly do. I just hope she comes back and believes I'm real. I hope she comes back. I need to see her again. One more time. I need to just... I can't explain it. I best not carry on, because I'm not making any sense, am I?

Please, don't classify me as crazy. Or whatever your psychologist logic tells you I am, Annie studied psychology you know! Huh... Alex, all I am asking you to do is to believe in something magic. Because this life, it has no magic in it anymore. It's all facts and figures and... I realised that in 1973. It changes you, something like that.

This is my last tape. My name is DCI Sam Tyler of Greater Manchester Police... And please, DI Alex Drake, believe me."

* * *

Annie knocked softly on the front door of Sam's flat. She wasn't quite sure how she had remembered her way back, but all she knew was that she had ended up back outside Sam's flat, holding her breath and waiting for him to answer. Annie wasn't sure what she was expecting from this Sam. She didn't know him properly. Not yet.

She heard his footsteps on the wooden floor of his hallway. She heard him hesitate for a moment. And then softly, the door fell open to reveal a tired-looking Sam.

"Sam." She whispered softly.

He stared at her, "Real Sam or Fake Sam?"

Annie blinked, and looked down at her shoes, "I'm not sure. Not yet."

Sam stepped to the side to allow her in, "That's a start."

Annie looked up and saw no anger in his eyes. That was a good sign. So she stepped in and he closed the door beind her. He turned to face her, "I waited for you, the whole time you were gone. Three hours, Annie. I was worried sick, and I thought... I thought something bad had happened." He told her quietly, "And I will never be able to explain to you how scared I was as it started to grow dark. You're not familiar with the area. I was so scared Annie." He searched her eyes for emotion, "Does that mean anything to you?"

"It's been a long day, Sam. I need to sleep."

* * *

This Sam still had the same manners as her Sam. He had insisted that she take his bed, and he take the sofa. She'd tried to argue but knew her attempts were futile, this Sam was the same with manners. And secretly, she didn't want to argue over it. Because it was one of the things that she had discovered this Sam had in common with her Sam.

Sam stood in the doorframe as she got into the bed, "I don't have anything for you to wear." He stated the obvious as she shrugged off her coat and threw it to the end of the bed.

"I'd be worried if you did." She quipped before she could stop herself. She paused. That was how she'd joke with her Sam. She looked up at him and he was grinning, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Goodnight, Annie." He said warmly, switching off the light and still smiling.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"You know... you know I loved you?" She asked timidly.

Sam was quiet for a long time. In the darkness, she couldn't see his face properly so she had no idea how he was feeling. "Loved." He eventually repeated.

"Yes."

Sam sighed, "Goodnight, Annie."

"Sam?"

"What is it this time?"

"... Where do you go, when I go to sleep?"

Sam said nothing this time, and shut the door behind him, heading for his front room where he would sleep on the sofa. Leaving Annie alone with her thoughts in the dark.

It took them both a long time to get to sleep.

**A/N: **This is going to have a slight hint of Ashes To Ashes in it. But not too much. Just involves Alex Drake a bit, ehehe. And can I apologise for how long this has taken me? I'm ashamed!

As always, please let me know what you think! Sorry there's not much action. Yet.


	8. Chapter 8

**And The Days That Never Came**

_I'm so, so sorry for the long wait. Like I really cannot explain how sorry I am. I had serious writers block with this fiction! This isn't any good as I practically forced myself to write it, but as always, I do hope you enjoy it :) _

_Also, I know it's a bit out the festive season now, but I did promise a Sam/Annie Christmas._

"Burning beacon in the night,  
Can't see it's heat or feel it's light,  
That single solitary guide,  
It must get lonely there sometimes."  
- The Beacon, A Fine Frenzy.

_

* * *

_

Annie Cartwright woke to the smell of bacon. Yes, she could smell sizzling bacon, and the smell had sauntered into her room, calling her. She smiled. It was a weird way to be awoken at Christmas. Usually, she'd have gone to her sisters, and would've awoke to the sound of her screeching nieces and nephews. But no, she'd slowly been coaxed awake by the smell of none other than bacon. Annie sighed happily and opened her eyes, blearily looking around the room. Ah, yes, that was the one tiny flaw in the lovely awakening. The fact that it wasn't real.

She could hear a festive christmas song playing gently in another room. So, quickly, she got out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. She tugged her fingers through her soft curls, and frowned. When had her hair been so long? It tumbled in it's light brown curls halfway down her back. Annie made the mental note to go to a hairdressers, and then exited from the room, into the hallway. The music was louder, but still soft, and she followed the sound of it to the Kitchen, to find Sam in there- _Fake _Sam, she reminded herself.

He didn't hear her walk in, and she didn't blame him since she'd been trying to be as quiet as a mouse. He was cooking bacon, whistling along to the Christmas song, and was startled when the toast leapt from the toaster. Annie smiled fondly, she couldn't help doing so, she just did.

Sam stopped when he turned to get the butter from the fridge and noticed her. "Annie." He said.

She nodded, a smile still on her face. "Morning."

Sam took the butter from the fridge, closing the fridge door after doing so. "What're you smiling about?" He asked curiously, taking the toast and placing it on a plate.

"Nothing." She told him with a shake of her head, "Need a hand?" Annie asked, tipping her head to one side,

Sam looked up from buttering the toast, his green eyes warm, "I was making this for you." He said with a smirk.

Annie shrugged, "I don't mind sharing." She said gently, and then, even though she tried to fight it, a smile forced it's way to her lips again.

* * *

Sam and Annie sat side-by-side on his Sams sofa. Annie was picking delicately at her food, a dozen questions on her mind. Sam had almost wolfed his down, obviously hungry, and was watching Annie curiously. Annie looked different, he noted. Annie looked a lot sadder, he could see it in her eyes, and he tried not to think about the fact that it was probably because of him that she was. He didn't even want to imagine the pain she'd have gone through back in the 70's. There was also the very noticeable difference of the length of her hair. Though still soft curls, it was a hell of a lot longer. He reached out and gently twirled one of the curls around his finger.

Annie looked up at him, blue eyes wide and confused, but softening at the warmth in his eyes. It was hard to think about the fact that she thought he was fake when he was acting like this, especially when he stared at her with those gorgeous green eyes and she felt a pang of guilt over the small bruise on his cheek. "When was the last time you ate?" Sam asked softly.

Of all the random things he'd _ever _asked...

"I don't know." She replied softly, not looking away from his eyes, in a trance.

Then, slowly, she reached out with one hand and stroked the small bruise on his cheek softly. His green eyes didn't look away from her own blue ones and they sat in silence as she did. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes, swallowing. "Do you believe I'm real yet?" He asked.

Annie frowned, "I'm not sure." She answered quietly.

Sam's green eyes opened, and there was a hint of happiness in them, and a grin slowly spread across his face. He reached up and took her hand from his face, clasping it between his own and squeezing softly. "Well that's a start, isn't it?"

* * *

Annie finally got around to eating the rest of her food, and was currently sitting in the passenger seat of Sam's car (Which was very different to the ones she was used to). She'd given up calling him Fake Sam now, since she wasn't quite sure anymore. He was a lot like Sam, minus the crazy ramblings. And she had to admit that she did miss them, a lot, though they did drive her around the bend. But to be honest, that was the only thing that was different about Sam. He may dress different, but that didn't mean his personality had changed. Sam was still the same kind, caring man she had met back in the 70's. And though none of this made any sense, a part of her believed that he was real.

"So you told her about me?" Annie asked curiously, twirling her hair around her finger, remembering the way Sam had done that and smiling to herself.

"Yeah." Sam answered, "Talked about you to most, apparently." His eyes flickered over to her for a moment, and then back on the road, "She wanted to know what it was like there for me. What people my mind had created-"

"I'm not from your mind!" Annie cried, "I'm real!"

Sam stopped at a set of traffic lights and looked at her as if she was a child, "Then why can you say that about me?" He asked softly.

Annie was stumped for words and looked away, out the window, slumping down in her seat and crossing her arms across her chest, shivering slightly.

"I'll give you some money to get you some clothes tomorrow. You must be freezing."

"I'm not accepting your money, Sam." She told him fiercely.

"So it's Sam now, is it?" He asked, starting the car again as the lights turned green.

Annie sighed frustratedly, "Will you just leave me alone with all this coma-nonsense, please!" She cried, blue eyes fierce and turning to him with an angry expression on her face.

Sam shrugged, "If I have to."

Annie exhaled slowly, "Can't believe you even talked me into comin' anyway. Must be mad."

Sam smiled, "She'll love you, don't worry." He told her, before mumbling quietly, "Just like someone else I know."

* * *

Annie's fingers were almost blue by the time they reached Ruth Tyler's house. Sam parked directly outside and hopped out, quickly going to her side to open the door for her. Annie smiled at him gratefully, and he held out his hand for her, she took it without thinking about it. Sam shut the car door behind her and didn't let go of her hand, which she really didn't mind at all, and lead her to a small red-bricked house with a dark blue door. He rung the doorbell once, and they waited patiently on the doorstep.

"Your fingers are like ice." Sam murmured after ringing the doorbell, turning to her and taking her other hand in his aswell, and rubbed them together, creating fiction so that her hands warmed slightly.

Annie laughed quietly, "You're telling me."

The door opened then, to reveal a old Ruth Tyler. Annie stared at her in shock. The last time she had seen Ruth Tyler back in the 70's, she was a beautiful blonde woman, who Sam seemed to have a huge attachment to for no reason (Which she'd tried not to get jealous over). Now, she was much different, lines of weary etched upon her face, the stress of raising a son alone must've taken it's toll, aswell as him going into a coma. Ruth raised an eyebrow at the pair and their clasped hands, and Sam turned to his Mum, smiling. Annie, however, was frozen in shock. Of course, she knew that Ruth was going to be a lot older, but it was still... weird.

"Mum." He greeted her, kissing her cheek. "Merry Christmas."

Ruth smiled warmly, "You too, son." Then she nodded at Annie nervously standing next to Sam, "Who's this pretty one then eh?"

Annie smiled nervously at her and Sam, with an ease that Annie sure didn't have, told Ruth, "Mum, this is Annie Cartwright. Annie, this is my Mum, Ruth Tyler."


	9. Chapter 9

**And The Days That Never Came**

_Really sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER. I'm a bad person, with serious writers block for this fic. And if you're still reading and reviewing, I love you. Let me know what you think, and if you'd like me to continue this at all.  
_

**"Brick by brick we started crumbling,  
Will I find you when it falls?"  
- Speaking A Dead Language, Joy Williams  
**

Ruth Tyler stared at Annie Cartwright for a long, long time. Her old, wise eyes almost seemed to stare straight into Annie's mind, and she felt unnerved. Annie stared back, just to be polite and not look away and seem ignorant (though why was she bothering if this world wasn't real?) and for a moment Annie thought she saw happiness in Ruth's eyes. And then she felt the faintest warm pressure on her hand. Several moments later, she realised it was Sam's hand. Oh, it felt kind of wonderful for a dream.

"_The _Annie Cartwright?" Ruth asked in awe, stepping forward slightly and searching Annie's face with her eyes.

Annie cleared her throat nervously, "Uh, I... Yes?"

Ruth stepped closer, eyes still hungrily roaming her face, "The one from Sam's dreams? The 70's?"

Annie wanted to snap and say they weren't dreams, but somehow she felt that she couldn't. All that came out was a small, meek, "Yes."

Ruth laughed merrily and enveloped Annie in a huge hug, pulling Annie's hand away from Sam's, crushing Annie to her. Annie yelped slightly in surprise, and timidly patted Ruth's back. Ruth's grip on her was as tight as a vice, her hold on her neverending. Annie tilted her head slightly to see Sam half-smiling bashfully. He looked up and caught her gaze, and amidst that embarassment something else was twinkling in his eyes. Just one thing that was a rarity to see from Sam in the 70's. Happiness.

Suddenly, Ruth released Annie from her tight hug, grinning like a chesire cat. Annie looked away from Sam and back at Ruth, who was almost squealing, "But how can you be here? You know, I read up on it. Some people reckon that people have the same dreams if they're in, for example, hospital- were you in hospital with my Sammy?"

Sam steppped forward and opened his mouth to talk, and Annie guessed that he was going to say Annie didn't want to talk about it. Truth was, she didn't. But she knew, somewhere, deep within her, that she had to. Annie wasn't quite sure why she felt that she had to explain what had happened, she just felt like it was the right thing to do then. She also knew that Sam was curious as to what happened.

Annie stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder, "Sam, it's fine." She told him.

Sam looked over at her, and she wondered how this could feel so real. This dream she was wide awake in. There was no way that imagination could create the warmth that was in Sam's eyes when he looked at her, and that there was no way that imagination could create the feel of the rought material of his jacket underneath her fingertips. Was there? Yet this couldn't be real. She had _died _surely. So how could she suddenly be so alive? And Sam was gone, he had left them, he hadn't cared. How could she travel through time, too? How could any of this make sense?

Yet it was so real, as Sam stared into her eyes and she felt herself blushing slightly.

Annie released her grip in Sam's shoulder, turning her head down slightly and clearing her throat. Then she looked up shyly at Ruth and said, "Honestly, I don't know. I- I thought that... I thought... My whole _life _was _real _in the 70's. And then I came here a-and..." Annie took a deep, calming breath, and then carried on, "I _was _in hospital." She announced firmly, and could feel Sam's eyes on her, "Apparently... They said I was in a car accident... I discharged myself the moment I could walk properly on my own, I was only there a day or two. A-and then I found Sam and... Well, here we are."

Ruth ushered them in quickly, and did not speak a single word more of this as she knew it was a touchy subject for both Sam and Annie, she could feel it coming off them, almost like an aura. Yet she couldn't help but grin over the fact her son had found a wonderful woman to love. Whom, she could also tell, loved him very dearly. She just didn't know it just yet.

* * *

Annie smiled politely to Ruth as she looked over at her sitting on the sofa, once again, whilst unwrapping her present from Sam at the time. The house was cosy and warm, a place that felt quite a lot like home. Ruth grinned a lot, laughed a lot, and made sure that conversation flowed freely. Which, she supposed, made the place feel that much more like home. It reminded Annie of her fond memories of her Mum. She was an only child, and her Mum had died a few years ago- according to her memories of the 70's, anyway. Her Mum had been her best friend. Her Dad had died when she was little.

Annie was suddenly overtaken by a multitude of emotions, mostly grief. Did her Mum actually exist here? What had happened to her mother here? What kind of torturing story would her imagination come up with?

The sudden surge of emotions was so strong that Annie felt tears prick her eyes. "Excuse me." She mumbled suddenly, causing Sam to look concerned (she realised he had been watching her the whole time) and Ruth to look over at her as she fled from the room to the bathroom.

Annie collapsed against the door once she was inside the door, and fell in a heap to the floor. She pulled her knees close to her chest and buried her face in her knees, sobbing so hard she made no noise at all. Tears trickled down her face and she fought hard to make no noise. Annie didn't want anyone at that moment in her distress, she was used to coping on her own. She just had to fight through the memories and then she'd be fine. Well, that's what she hoped anyway.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Annie?"

Annie gasped quietly, and hiccuped after. She pulled herself to her feet, still crying. "Go away, Sam. Leave me alone." She croaked.

She heard him sigh. There was a minute of silence and she thought that he had gone, when suddenly Sam pleaded through the door, "You were always one to deal with things on your own but I'm not gonna let you do that anymore, Annie, please- let me in. Tell me what's wrong. I'll make it better for you, no matter what you want."

And _oh, _how sweet he sounded.

Annie hesitantly unlocked the door to the bathroom and waited. She heard Sam sigh in relief, and slowly the door opened. He stood there, face painted with concern, and reached out when he saw her stood with her arms wrapped around herself, tears rolling down her cheeks from her beautiful blue eyes. His hands were outstretched in front of him when he asked, "What's wrong, Annie?"

Annie swallowed nervously, and then suddenly she walked toward him until their noses were almost touching. His hands settled softly on her waist and he frowned, confused. But that was for a brief moment, as suddenly Annie cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly. He reacted almost instantly, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her even closer. She wanted to feel real. And so she did. His mouth was soft and warm and real beneath hers, and what had been a soft kiss soon turned passionate, and she couldn't help but think how wonderful he was.

His arms around her made her feel secure, her hands on his cheeks brushing the small stubble there felt detailed, his mouth felt wonderful as it worked in time with hers, and she felt, in that moment, completely real.


	10. Chapter 10

**And The Days That Never Came**

_I am SO sorry for the wait! I have been working on something original a lot lately, and not so much on fanfiction. Along with that, I lost my plan to this fic. I have the general idea of where this is headed, but I can't remember everything. So I may have a break between chapters, but hopefully not as long as it has been. I recently re-watched Life On Mars, so I'm a lot more "I can get this chapter finished!" mode. : ) I know it's short, but this is just fluff, and I'm not too good at writing a load of that.  
_

_Thank you for every review I've ever earned from this fanfiction. If you're still reading this I love you far too much. _

* * *

The kiss stopped as they broke for air, and Annie's hands fell from his face and slipped down to his chest. She closed her eyes, her breathing shallow as she rest her forehead against Sam's. They stood in silence, the only sound was their laboured breaths, as Annie focused solely on Sam's heartbeat. She remembered how he'd done this to her, back in the 70's. She'd thought it weird at the time. But now she understood. His heart pumped fiercely underneath her palm, beating through his skin, and it reminded her how real everything was. Maybe it wasn't as much as a dream as she thought it was.

Sam said nothing, waiting patiently for Annie to gather her thoughts. Old tear tracks scarred her face, and she sniffed, her hands leaving Sam's chest to wipe lazily at her cheeks. Annie opened her blue eyes then, and saw Sam's green ones staring back patiently.

"I'm sorry." She apologised softly.

Sam frowned, his grip loosening on her waist slightly as he pulled back slightly to get a proper look at her face, "What on earth for?" He asked, frowning.

Annie smirked, looking away, "I- I dunno. Just... sorry."

"Do you want to leave?"

The question was so sudden and soft that it startled her, leaving her staring at Sam, wondering how he could possibly know that. "Your Mum..." She started softly, feeling bad.

"Can cope on her own. I've visited her. I never stay the whole day, anyway. She has her friends." Sam told her, smiling slightly.

"What about your friends?"

Sam paused, finally releasing her waist from his grip, crossing his arms across his chest. He frowned and stared into space for a moment, his mouth half-open, as if ready to speak. Speech didn't come to Sam for a long time, and when it did it saddened Annie. "My life was... my work. I even let my girlfriend slip away because of it..." Sam's face twisted out of a frown and he looked up at her, "But not now that you're here. I won't let anything... get in the way of how I feel about you."

Annie waited for a few seconds before reaching out and slipping her hand into his, "And... how do you feel about me?" She asked quietly.

He stared down at their twined hands, squeezing her soft, small hand lightly. "You know how I feel about you."

"I need to hear it." She admitted hesitantly.

Sam cleared his throat, "Well, then..." He looked up from their hands and into her eyes, "You should know that I... I love you, Annie Cartwright."

Annie smiled, tears glittering her eyes, but the shadows still lurking there, haunting her. However they were forgotten in her mind, all thoughts occupied with happiness. "I love you, too." She whispered.

* * *

They stayed at Ruth Tyler's house for a few more hours after that, and then Sam and Annie left. They didn't speak a word, just allowing hands to brush against each others every now and then. Annie wished that it would snow to make the feeling of it being Christmas finally settle in her heart. However her wishes were not to come true, but that was perfectly okay. Her and Sam wondered the streets of Manchester, soon hand-in-hand, and were lost in their thoughts. Annie didn't even notice how modern everything looked.

They were walking until the sky grew dark and stars glittered the sky, shining bright like glinting diamonds. Thier aimless, silent talk lead them back to Sam's flat, and she smiled to herself when she walked in. It felt normal to be there already.

Still, there were no words, and she didn't feel that there ought to be. It was nice like this. No questions demanding answers, no confusion... just the two of them. She liked it a lot. It was different. Homely. She'd never really felt at home anywhere until Sam had come along. He made her better. Now, he was here, and part of her didn't care whether he was real or not. He was still Sam, just without the crazy talk all the time. It was peaceful.

"Are you tired?" He asked her gently, interrupting her thoughts, the first time they had spoke in hours.

Annie suddenly realised how tired she was from the hours of walking. She blinked, startled, as she realised. "Yes... Yeah, I am."

Sam nodded, "Okay, I'll uh... Well, yeah... Goodnight, Annie." He said, turning to head towards the front room where she knew that he would sleep on the sofa. Ever the gentleman.

Annie grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking any further. Sam turned to look at her questioningly. She swallowed nervously, "Please... Stay with me..."

Sam turned so that he was fully faced towards her, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Sam smiled slightly and they wandered hand-in-hand to his bedroom. Annie took her jacket off and her shoes, and slipped beneath the covers. Sam hesitated slightly, before stripping down to his own shirt and trousers. He nervously slipped beneath the covers with her, and they lay facing each other. Slowly, Sam reached a hand out a hand and toyed with one of her long curls. His eyes were amused as he watched it spring gently back when he released it. After a few moments, his hand drew away, his eyes searching out for hers in the darkness. She was staring directly back at him.

"Why do you want this?" He asked her quietly.

Annie sighed and shifted closer to him. "Because... even though you may not be real... I don't feel real. But when I'm with you... I do feel real, and I like that, so..." She admitted quietly, trailing off and looking away, biting her lip.

Sam smiled, "It's a start."

Annie nodded and cautiously shifted even closer to him, so that her head lay upon his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Slowly, his arms made their way around her, pulling her closer. They said nothing, nervous as hell, but completely and utterly happy in that moment. They fell asleep, content, thinking of nothing more than how right it felt to be in each others arms.


	11. Chapter 11

**And The Days That Never Came**

_As always, I am SO sorry about the wait. But uh... good things come to those that wait, right?_

* * *

When she woke sometime in the night, Annie found herself in a rather awkward position. One of her legs had slipped between Sam's in the night, and his arms had somehow found their way around her waist to pull her practically on top of him. Instantly, Annie found herself blushing even though Sam was completely unaware. Although she knew that she ought to move, to prise his arms from her and sneak away until he woke, she found herself transfixed by his face. Annie's own face softened as she stared down upon his face, and studied how peaceful he looked in sleep. All traces of worry for her welfare had vanished from his face, and he reminded her of a baby- peaceful, with no worries. Annie smiled to herself and, as gently as possible, pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead.

"I wish you were real." She whispered hoarsely, then settled back into his arms.

* * *

The next time Annie woke, she was alone.

There was a loud clunking and she shot upright, to find Sam standing in the doorway looking oddly sheepish and carrying an odd machine and lead in his hands towards the bed. Still drowsy from sleep, Annie chose to simply observe him, and wondered what on earth it was that he was carrying. Even as he sat beside her and somewhere in the back of her brain recognised the odd machinery, she chose to say nothing.

Sam smiled at her sleepy confusion. She looked beautiful, as always, when she first woke up. Long hair all mussed and half-lidded eyes.

"Thank you." Annie whispered, blushing, and with a start he realised he'd voiced that thought out loud. However, he didn't regret it when Annie reached over to peck him lightly on the cheek she'd bruised so few days ago.

Sam grinned smugly to himself but quickly smothered it, and suddenly to Annie dozens of images of clothes appeared on the screen of the machine. Annie raised her eyebrows at Sam, hoping that he'd explain.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot." Sam smirked to himself, and gestured to the machine. "This is a laptop. It's like a computer. But portable. And the computer's a lot more advanced compared to... you know." Sam tried to explain, and frowned to himself when he realised how hard it was to explain what a laptop was, along with the internet. He shook his head. "Anyway, you can buy clothes on this and they deliver them here. Don't worry, I'll show you how."

Annie bit her lip, "Sam, I don't have any money..."

Sam chuckled, "I know that, Annie. I'll pay- and don't argue, you _need _more clothes." Sam told her seriously, but then sniffed her shoulder and mocked disgust. "You really smell, Annie!"

Annie laughed, shocked, and pushed at his shoudler lightly. "Give over!"

Once they settled down, Sam showed her how to use the website properly, and Annie paid rapt attention. To his surprise, she adjusted to this new modern invention rather quickly, though did need his help sometimes, for instance when she panicked because a pop-up had flashed up on the screen. However apart from that, she seemed completely at ease with the laptop and the internet. He left her alone and made them both toast, which they ate on his bed and tried to avoid getting crumbs everywhere, and then he took a shower to pass some time.

It wasn't until he was done that he realised he hadn't brought any clothes into the bathroom and buried his head in his hands. However he knew he had to man up. So he ran his hands through his wet hair, securely tied the towel around his waist, and popped his head around the doorway of his room.

"Uh, Annie?"

She looked up from the screen, and her mouth dropped open slightly. Sam blushed beetroot red and Annie diverted her gaze as best she could when she answered. "Uh- Y-Yes Sam?"

"I... Forgot my clothes." He explained sheepishly, and Annie began blushing as much as him. She quickly turned her body so her back was to him and averted her eyes. Sam was relieved she was making this easy.

When he was backing from the room, Annie couldn't restrain herself any longer. Her blue eyes darted towards him, and she was transfixed by the way the beads of water travelled down the plains of his back, and the sharpness of his shoulderblades. Before those unsuitable thoughts entered her mind like she knew that they would, Annie quickly diverted her eyes away and took a deep lungful of breath to try and calm her racing heart.

* * *

The next day Sam had to go to work. It was an awkward exit, he stood around telling her that there would be no need for her to open the door to anyone, and that she was welcome to do anything while he was gone. He promised to visit her in his lunch hour, if he managed to gain one. Annie felt rather like a child, being left alone in the house for the first time by an overprotective mother.

She rolled her eyes and walked into the hallway as he reminded her not to open the door for the umpteenth time. "Sam, I'm a big girl now, I can handle myself." She assured him in a condescending tone. "Now go, you're late already!" She exclaimed when her eyes caught sight of the time.

Sam opened the door of his flat and hesitated for a moment. Before Annie was given a chance to tell him to get a move on, he quickly stepped forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. After, he tried to step away, but she grabbed the lapels of his un-Sam-like jacket and pulled him closer for a proper kiss. Annie had no idea why she had, but when his lips collided with hers she didn't regret her body doing things she didn't tell it to do. Instantly, he relaxed into her, hands settling upon her waist, tongue brushing hesitantly against hers. Annie could feel her lungs protesting, but she clung to him desperately. Again, as she did whenever he was intimate like this in this world, she felt _real. _Although he was in no way _her _Sam, she almost felt he was, in these moments.

When she felt her lungs would explode, Annie pulled away and whispered, "Go." otherwise she knew she would never let go again. He stared at her with a dazed yet happy expression on his face, then followed her orders without complaining.

As soon as she'd gone, she rest her forehead against the hard wooden door and whispered to thin air: "What are you doing, Annie?"


	12. Chapter 12

**And The Days That Never Came**

* * *

Annie finds being in Sam's flat alone rather interesting. In the time she was alone she managed to teach herself how to use the TV and the strange channels of "sky", and found several pictures of Sam and his Mum through the years. However these pictures seemed to be the only ones he possessed, besides the one of him and a dark-haired woman she presumed was Maya.

Eventually Annie came to the conclusion that Sam wasn't actually coming back during his lunch break, and decided it was time she had a shower. She stripped down and stuffed her things into the washing machine- which wasn't that hard to figure out- and set off to turn on the complicated shower, that was wonderfully warm. During her long time relaxing in the shower, she found herself thinking of Sam, and how it felt wrong to be without him despite the fact she shouldn't feel that way because he wasn't _her _Sam. When these thoughts entered her mind, she quickly shut the shower off and stepped into the coldness of the bathroom, banishing all thoughts of him from her mind.

Annie wrapped a towel around her wet body and went to check on her clothes. They were clean, but she was yet to wait for them to dry. Clutching desperately to her towel, she hung her clothes by the window and allowed the wind to breeze against them, hoping it wouldn't be too long until they dried. For the meantime Annie decided Sam wouldn't mind all too much if she borrowed a shirt. At least, that's what she reassured herself as she found herself rummaging through his drawers. Sam was a slight thing, however, and his shirt just about fit. Desperate times called for desperate measures, she decided, as she studied herself in the mirror and fingered the new, long brown locks she had.

And that was when Sam walked in through the door.

Annie squeaked and dived into his bed, pulled the covers over her body so much her head was covered. Beneath the covers, she swore she heard Sam chuckle. Slowly, she peeked back out of the covers and over at Sam.

"You're... Wearing my shirt." He managed, and she felt her face heat and flush as he stared at the covers as if he could see through them.

Annie swallowed, throat dry. "I needed to shower. And my clothes don't come 'till tomorrow. And my ones aren't dry! So-"

"Annie, it's fine!" Sam assured her, smirking. Annie bit her lip and toyed with her strange new hair. "Your hair suits you." He stated suddenly, yet softly. She looked up, startled.

"Really?" She asked before she could stop herself, and internally cursed herself for sounding so eager to know he approved.

Sam smiled, growing ever closer until he reached out to tug on a loose curl. "Really really."

* * *

After spending his lunch with Annie, which he hadn't really been able to focus on properly due to the fact Annie was in _his _shirt, Sam returned back to work. Before he could continue with the most recent case though- a bank robbery gone wrong, which had resulted in the death of a seventeen year old girl- his superintendent pulled him into his office.

"Sam." Superintendent Charles started, who was an old, worn man who was strict about keeping things by the book yet had one of the warmest hearts Sam had ever seen. "I don't know if you remember, as we discussed this all before your accident, but we have a new DS starting with us this week. I felt we should talk about her incase you forgot."

Sam frowned and tried to remember this discussion, but his memories seemed to win out on that one, slightly hazy. From what he could recall, they'd had no such discussion. However he answered as politely as he could: "Sorry sir, I don't remember."

Superintendent Charles nodded slowly, and pulled out a file from the new filing cabinet that lined one of the walls of his office. "I guessed correctly, I see." He mumbled to himself as he opened the file, then handing it to Sam. "She's transferring here from GMP, but rest assured she's full of potential. I'm sure she'll fit right in here, she's very forward-thinking and is one of the most modern female cops I've ever heard of. Well, apart from DI Alex Drake, I should imagine."

As soon as the file had been placed in his hands, Sam's jaw had gone slack and all of the Superintendent's words had turned to mush. Because there, in his hands, was one of the most unbelievable things he was sure he'd ever seen.

The new DS was Annie Cartwright.

_Annie._

* * *

__When Sam returned home that night, he was delirious. More so than he'd ever been. And he couldn't help but laugh at the fact that his home currently held Annie. _Annie. _DS Annie Cartwright formerly of GMP but now of the MET. She was going to be part of his team!

"Sam? What's put you in such a good mood?" Annie asked curiously as he sprinted into the front room, where she sat on the sofa now wearing her own clothes.

Sam couldn't begin to think up a coherent answer, simply grabbed her by the hands and pulled her up onto her feet, to which she squealed in surprise. He kissed her, quickly, because he wasn't quite sure what else to do. When he pulled away, there was a twinkle of happiness in her eyes, yet that same curiosity etched every line of her face. At that look, he laughed out loud, like a young child who had just won the competition.

"Sam?" Annie questioned again, and tried not to blush as his hands settled comfortably on the curve of her hips.

His grin only grew wider. "DS Annie Cartwright, welcome to the team."


End file.
